GIANTS 2, MARLINS 0: San Fran's ace Jason Schmidt pitches the club's first playoff shutout since 1987 in Game 1.
By Wire services
Published October 1, 2003
SAN FRANCISCO - Jason Schmidt believes his phenomenal season is a product of his playoff experience last fall, when he emerged as a star on a pitching staff that really didn't have one.
These days Schmidt is the Giants' unquestioned ace, and he gave the young Florida Marlins a taste of tough postseason pitching.
Schmidt pitched the Giants' first playoff shutout in 16 years, a three-hitter for a 2-0 victory in Game 1 Tuesday.
"I felt like I learned a lot more in the last two games of the World Series than I did my whole career," said Schmidt, who has allowed seven runs in his past four postseason outings. "I couldn't wait to get back to the postseason."
Schmidt outdueled Josh Beckett while Barry Bonds and the Giants took advantage of an error by fill-in third baseman Miguel Cabrera to score the go-ahead run.
After retiring Derrek Lee on a grounder for the final out, Schmidt twirled on one leg before his teammates surrounded him.
The right-hander is feeling so good he'd appreciate the chance to face Bonds. After the gem Schmidt pitched, he might have a decent shot at shutting down baseball's most feared slugger.
"I would challenge him," Schmidt said playfully.
At 68, Felipe Alou wound up a winner while managing his first postseason game, and Jack McKeon, 72, lost in his playoff debut, then couldn't get to the interview room because fans grabbed at his jacket and hat while he worked his way down a crowded hallway.
Game 2 in the best-of-five NL series is today.
Bonds barely had two feet in the batter's box when catcher Ivan Rodriguez's glove shot out to signal an intentional walk, showing how serious the Marlins were about not letting Bonds beat them.
Instead, the Marlins beat themselves with one bad throw.
Bonds wound up 0-for-1 with three walks. Chad Fox intentionally walked Bonds with nobody on base in the eighth, and he came around to score on Edgardo Alfonzo's double.
Bonds proved last postseason that he could carry his team; the five-time MVP hit .356 with eight homers, 16 RBIs and 27 walks as the Giants reached the World Series for the first time since 1989. The Marlins don't plan to let that happen if they can help it.
When he was intentionally walked in the first, the crowd of 43,704 began booing lustily.
On a day the teams combined for six hits, the Giants scored first on a misplay.
Cabrera, starting in place of injured All-Star Mike Lowell, charged Alfonzo's fourth-inning bunt and made a wild throw to first. By the time the ball stopped it was in the bullpen dirt, and Rich Aurilia was headed for home.
Alou had said the key for Schmidt was to keep his pitch count down, and that happened. The man with the league's lowest ERA worked ahead in the count and was at 79 pitches through six.
"We haven't seen any better stuff than that," Lee said. "He was throwing 94, 95, and hitting all the corners. It was impressive."
After Alex Gonzalez reached on an error in the fifth, Schmidt retired the final 14. He walked none and struck out five.
Schmidt pitched the first postseason shutout for the Giants since Dave Dravecky beat St. Louis in Game 2 of the 1987 NL Championship Series.
Beckett was almost as impressive in his playoff debut. He gave up two hits in seven innings, striking out nine and walking five.
"When you're lucky enough to get a pitching performance like that, you've got to score some runs," Florida centerfielder Juan Pierre said. "It's almost like we wasted it. We just ran into a bus over there."
At 23, Beckett is seven years younger than Schmidt, but he didn't pitch like it.
"He's tough," Beckett said. "He threw probably 100 fastballs and I don't think he made a mistake on one of them."
Beckett worked out of a first-inning jam after Ray Durham hit a leadoff double. Durham went to third on J.T. Snow's flyout and after Bonds was walked with two outs, Alfonzo flied out.
